Managing Director, Technology Architecture & Governance

CPP Investments | Investissements RPC•Toronto, ON

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Managing Director, Technology Architecture & Governance is accountable for setting and governing CPP Investments’ enterprise technology architecture, engineering practices, and lifecycle standards to ensure the Fund operates on a resilient, modern, and sustainable technology foundation. Reporting to the Managing Director, Head of Technology & Data, this role focuses on practical, outcome-driven architecture that accelerates delivery, improves quality, and solves material enterprise challenges, rather than traditional, static or theoretical architecture models. This role provides enterprise-wide leadership for architecture direction, technology lifecycle management, engineering and agile practices, and minimizing technical debt. The MD acts as a senior authority and enterprise integrator, shaping decisions that have long-term impact on scalability, resilience, cost efficiency, and delivery effectiveness across the Fund. While the role does not have direct reports, it is intentionally positioned at the Managing Director level due to the scope of enterprise impact, the complexity of judgement required, the need for senior authority to resolve complex technology challenges, and accountability for decisions that materially affect CPP Investments’ long-term technology posture. The MD operates through influence, deep expertise, and governance, and selectively leverages external consultants to extend capacity while retaining accountability for outcomes.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field required
Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in technology architecture, engineering leadership, or enterprise technology roles
Demonstrated success leading large-scale technology decisions and standards in complex organizations
Deep expertise in engineering, enterprise architecture, modern technology platforms, and large-scale system design
Strong understanding of cloud-native architecture, integration patterns, modern data achitecture, and security principles
Proven experience establishing and governing software development lifecycle, engineering standards, and agile practices
Expertise in technology lifecycle management, vendor strategy, and technical debt remediation
Understanding of financial services or large, complex enterprises and their regulatory and risk environments
You are motivated to contribute to something larger than yourself, approach complex challenges with rigor, and hold yourself to high standards in a collaborative, performance-driven environment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced education or professional certifications in architecture, cloud, or engineering practices considered an asset
Experience in financial services, investment management, or other complex enterprises is preferred

Responsibilities

Define and maintain the enterprise technology architecture, capability model and capability roadmap aligned to CPP Investments’ mandate, One Fund strategy, and long-term business objectives.
Provide clear architectural direction that balances innovation, resilience, security, and cost efficiency across the enterprise.
Lead lightweight, decision-oriented architecture governance focused on unblocking teams and resolving trade-offs, rather than enforcing rigid controls.
Provide timely, well-reasoned guidance on complex design choices, ensuring alignment across platforms while enabling local autonomy where appropriate.
Act as a senior problem solver for the enterprise, engaging directly in the most complex, ambiguous, and high-impact business problems and technology challenges.
Bring systems thinking and deep technical judgement to diagnose root causes, shape options, and guide decisions that balance near-term outcomes with long-term sustainability.
Own the enterprise approach to technology lifecycle management, including currency, obsolescence, and vendor dependency risk.
Define strategies to identify, prioritize, and systematically reduce technical debt, improving platform stability, maintainability, and total cost of ownership over time.
Set enterprise expectations for software development lifecycle, engineering excellence, and ways of working including agile practices.
Drive continuous improvement in how technology is designed, built, tested, and released, enabling predictable delivery, higher quality outcomes, and faster time to value